A study conducted by University College London indicates that treatment with pituitary hormones transmits the disease Alzheimer's disease To five people per United kingdom. The research has been published on the portal Natural medicine Monday (29th).
This is the first time that evidence of disease transmission has been found. The study looked at a group of eight people who were among about 1,848 patients treated between them 1959 and 1985 With hormones extracted from cadavers.
Early research was halted after it was discovered that intramuscular injection caused the transmission of prions, an infectious protein that causes pneumonia. Creutzfeldt-Jakob (CJD). The new research concludes that the experiment also led to the transmission of Alzheimer's disease.
Understanding the study
The patients received the hormone as children but did not develop Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. However, scientists determined that five of them had symptoms similar to Alzheimer's disease. precocious.
Biological studies and autopsies suggest a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease Three patients. Tests on a fourth patient also indicate a suggestive diagnosis.
“Our findings suggest that Alzheimer's disease and some other neurological conditions share similar disease processes to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease,” said John Collinge, lead author of the research and professor at University College London. “This may have important implications for understanding and treating Alzheimer's disease in the future,” he said.
The researchers highlight that there is no evidence of transmission in daily life and routine medical care.
